Railroad automatic danger and safety signal system.



A. F. BELLS.

RAILROAD AUTOMATIC DAN GER AND SAFETY SIGNAL SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.15, 1908.

91 4,482,, Patented MarnQ, 1909.

gvmewtor UNITED STATES ra rnncr OFFICE.

ALBERT F. EELLS, OF B OSTON, MASSACHUSETTS,

ASSIGNOR OF ONE-EIGHTH TO WILLIAM J.

BARNETTE, UNITED STATES NAVY, WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

- nmaosn AUTOMATIC DANGER Ann SAFETY SIGNAL SYSTEM.

I No. 914,482.

Specification of Letters lPatent'.

Patented March 9, 1909.

Application filed August 15, 1908. Serial No. 448,721.

Toall whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT F. E LLs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolkand State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Railroad Automatlc Danger and Safety Signal System, of which the following is a Suitable connections to an insulated rod, rail,

wire or other suitable device, through similar resistances at the ends of the different sections of track to the main rails, and through these to the wheels of the motive-cars, and from there to the metallic body of the car which is connected by a wire leading to and through the proper instruments installed in the motive-car; back to the other pole of the battery, thus completing the circuit as here inafter fully descrlbed. Or the current-may take the reverse direction. In the e uipment of instruments is included a telep one inthe main circuit. There are also means by which a buzzer, or other desired alarm, will sound whenever there is any break inthe ,main circuit from any cause. 'VVhen' other motive-cars with simi ar battery and instrumental e uiplnent are 1n the same sectlon there resu ts either a reduction or augmentation of electrical effect, depending upon whether the installation is connected up with the same or opposite polarities. In either case, suitable devices can be arranged by which armatures may be automatically released or attracted, and through these agenich result in sounding an alarm simultaneously in each motive-car. To accomplish these objects, I propose to equip each motive-car with the electrical instruments '1 will now describe. For clearness of description, I will use the term battery "to indicate any suitable electro motive force.

One end of a wire is attached to an insu- I propose to connect electrically any lated shoe, wheel, or other device, which is in contact with a rod, rail, wire or other suitable device, the latter to be insulated by the ties or otherwise. The other end of this wire is connected withthe proper pole of a battery. 'The other pole of the battery is connected by wire to a telephone and through that to an el ectro-magnet, so placed, that each pole may be used to actuate a separate armature insulated and attached to a pivoted make and break circuit arm carrying its metallic make and break circuit connections. After passing around the magnet, the wire runs-to The second pole of the one pole of a switch.- switch is for the purpose of breaking the main circuit and throwing the equipment out of operation when not required. \Yith the switch turned to the first pole, which includes the magnet in the circuit, the current runs through a wire to the metallic body of the car, thence to the wheels and main rails and thence through the simih r resistances at the ends of sections to the rod, rail or wire, insulated by the ties or otherwise, and by this means to the insulated shoe, wheel or other method of contact and its connecting wire, thus completing the circuit to the main battery.

Both of the above mentioned armatures are nounally n contact with their respective poles of the magnet as the battery has nor-- mally a closed circuit. The arm atures are so adjusted that when the effect of the battery is'reduced by the entrance of another similarly equipped motive-car iii the same section, the insulated armature, attached to its pivoted make and break circuit arm, will be released from the magnet on both cars, and, closing the pro er circuit, sound an alarm preferably a be 1. The other insulated armature having suitable tension and with its similar pivoted make and break circuit arm will be released from the magnet when the main circuit is broken from 'any cause, such as open draw, open switch or any other break in the-circuit and, b so doing, closes the circuit for a diiferent a arm, preferably a buzzer to indicate the particular character of the fault, and, at the same time, breaks the hell circuit. so that both alarm signals will not be sounding at the same time.

The term tension of the armature is used to relate to the means used to draw the arma ings, for one means but not by using a heavy armature of iron, for 'on the entrance of another similarly equipped car in the same block or section, the armature containing the least iron is released first, conseguently the greater tension must be cause by other metal than iron, preferably lead.

By means of the telephone in the main circuit, communication may be carried on between cars and between cars and station properly wired to that'section and suitably e nipped. Or, the station maycall up and ta k with a car in any given section with which it is wired.

The following are some of the causes and efiects which follow from some of the combinations of installation designed to reduce the alarm signals I have describe Two motive-cars similarly equip )e like battery connections; when in the same section the efiect is to reduce the power of the magnet to the extent that the bell armature the one having reater tension will be released, close the bel circuit and sound the alarm. Should the batteries in the two cars have been connected with opposite polarities the effect would beto augment their action, in which case the system would be arranged to have the bell armature, with make and.

break circuit arm, close the bell circuit when attracted to its magnet. This method of connecting up the batteries in two cars of o posite polarities is not advisable, as it'wou d not be practicable t'o'insure alternate cars being connected with opposite polarities. Again, with similar polar connections and equipments eifcepting that two electr'o-magnets are used in ace of the single magnet,the same effects wil follow and the same results may be accomplished. Again, the sameresults may be accomplished if, in place of a single battery in each car, it is e uipped with a pair of batteries, op osite po es of which are connected together y the wire leading to the shoe. The other two opposite poles are connected each with its own' electro-magnet which, by proper connections in combination with armatures attached to their make and break circuit arms. will automatically throw the proper batteries in circuit when two Ino tive-cars are in the same section and sound the bell alarm. In all the above combinations, when the main circuit is broken from any cause, the magnets are dead, causing the armatures to be released and the buzzer alarm to sound.

' Tlsis invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows a section of rail-road track with the rails T T and rod A with wiresB B having similar resistance connecting them together at the end ol each section. It also shows the lapping but separation of the rods of one section by another to prevent cars colliding at the ends of sections. Fig. 2

and havingshows a sectional view of a motive-car, also wheels, track and electrical connections.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the controlling magnets and associated armatures.

1n the drawings T T represent the rails of one section and the rod or'wire A insulated from the rails. Each section of track is wired .to its designated and properly equipped station.

A is the insulated rail or other connecting device in contact with the motive-car through the piece N insulated at I. Conducting wires W" and W are wires leadingfrom the body of the car and shoe to the magnet M and the telephone F and having the battery F in the circuit. I

E and E are the armatures attached to,

but insulated fro'lintheir respective make and break circuit arms which close oi 'break the circuit to their respective danger signalspreferably bel-l and buzzer.

G, H and J are the combined connecting posts and adjusting screws for regulating the distance of the armatures from the respective poles of the magnet M.

0 1s the wire connecting the two make and break circuit arms and forms part of the means for completing the circuit through the arms for either the bell or buzzer battery. It will'be noted that when the buzzer circuit is closed at J by the release of the arm E the bell circuit is automaticall broken at H.

The main circuit, which 1s normally closed, may'be traced as follows :-'from battery F, through wire \Vto contact shoe N, rail A, resistance B, track rails T, wheels of the car, wire W, switch" S, magnet M, and telephone F, back tobattery.

Thus the magnet M is energized, and the armatures E and E nor.- I

mally attracted. When this circuit is interrupted, on account of anopen switch, break in the rails, or other cause, the magnet M is deenergized, and releases both armatures, thus closing circuit at J throughthe local battery C, and buzzer D", givingan alarm. In the event however, of two similarly equipped cars coming upon the same block, their batteries will be connected in multiple throu h the resistance B, of the track or partiaf circuit, similar poles of the batteries being connected to the rail A. It

will therefore be evident, that the current as compared with the resist timeit be desired to stop the respective controlling magnetic means of different strength, so that, when the current is weakened as described, only one of the armatures, namely, E, is released, while the other armature E, is maintained in its normal position. When the armature E drops, a local circuit is battery C, thus sounding an alarm; in both cars.

If desired, these alarms can be made to put on the air brakes automatically.

The buzzer sounds only when the main circuit is broken from any cause. If at such the buzzer from sounding, turning the switch S from K will automatically break the buzzer circuit at P I In case of open draw,-broken track or open switch if it be desired td complete the'circuit in order to telephone the connected station,

or to another car in the same section, a wlrc, having resistance in it similar to that in the track, is taken from the shoe connection below the insulation body of the car by means of a push button, switch or other device L, located at some point within the reach ofthe engineer who, by pressing the button, again completes the circuit. As soon as the push button is released the circuit is again broken as long as there is any break in the line.

I do not wish to be understood as confining myself to the connection A as a means of completingthe circuit,otlier means may be utilized. Nor do I desire to confine myself to batteries for operating the instruments, for with proper devices any electro motive force may be utilized. Nor do I desire to confine myself to this particular arrangement of instruments and connections; other electrical and magnetic combinations may be installed in cars which will accomplish the same results.

Sufiicient electro motive force should be employed to insure the proper working of the instrumental equipment, and the rheostat princi le may-be utilized to regulate the strength 0 the current to the desired uniformadjustment of the cars.

One pole of the ma net may be wound with more wire than t e other which will give it a stronger attractive power. Or a smaller Wire ma be used on one pole to mike the attractive power different from the ot er.

- What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 2-- closed through bell D, and

I and connected to thesaid conductor, a battery larl e 1. In an electric railway signaling system. a track divided into blocks, a car, a signal controlling device carried thereby, a normally closed circuit in which said device is connected, said circuit including the track rails, and means governed by the entry of a similarly equipped car upon the block for weakening the current in said circuit without interrupting the same, and thus causing said controlling device to act.

2. In an electric railway signaling system, a track divided into blocks, a car, a source of current and an electro-magnet carried thereby, a normally closed circuit, including the track rails, in which said magnet and source of current are connected, an armature normally held attracted by said magnet, means governed by the entry of a similarly equipped car into the block for weakening, without deenergizing said magnet and thus causing the same to release said armature, and signaling means controlled by said armature.

3. In an electric railway signaling system, a track divided into blocks, a car, distinctive signal roducing means carried thereby, magnetic means controlling said signal producing means, a normally closed circuit in which said magnetic means is connected, said circuit including the track rails, means responsive to a break in said circuit for roducing one signal, and means governed by the entry of a similarly equipped car into the block for producing another signal.

4. In an electric railway signaling system, a conductor extending along the track and divided into insulated blocks or sections, each section being connected to the track rails through a resistance, and a plurality of cars movable over the track, each provided with means for electrically engaging and a controlling electro-magnet carried by each of said cars and connected in a circuit between said conductor and the'track rails, all of said batteries having their like poles joined to said conductor, whereby each such magnet is included in a normally closed circuit, and whereby the presence of two such cars, simiuipped, upon the same block, results in between them the current flowing throng the said resistance.

ALBERT F. EELLS.

Witnesses:

M. A. Bonn, ROBERT A BoswELL. 

